By day, she toils as a dedicated information professional...

by night, she shimmies to the music of the ney, dumbek, and oud...

Our dedicated Info Pro spends her days in sensible footwear, assisting her clients with a multiplicity of information needs. Cataloging books, searching online databases, fixing printer jams, teaching people how to use indices, and explaining why everything knowable is not yet on the Internet are among her many tasks.

But man -- and woman -- do not live by information alone. At night, our gal trades her Birkenstocks for beads and serves her adoring public's entertainment needs with the music and dance of the Middle East.

Stereotypes abound regarding both of the Bellydancing Librarian's professions. Our heroine does not, you will notice, wear her hair in a bun; indeed, she has never met a librarian who does so! And why, she wonders, do people think it a compliment to remark, upon learning her profession, "But you don't LOOK like a librarian!" In actuality, librarians run the fashion gamut, from power suits with Italian shoes to hippie skirts with Birkenstocks to bright blue dreadlocks with multiple facial piercings.

Most librarians are fierce defenders of Free Speech and the First Amendment. We do not spend our days shushing people and dusting books! Public librarians toil to provide free information access to all citizens in the most democratic of institutions. Medical librarians provide physicians with information that may save lives, while corporate librarians help their companies' bottom line by providing competitive intelligence to marketing executives and R&D.

Bellydance -- more properly known as Raks Sharki -- suffers from stereotypes of the opposite sort. It has nothing to do with stripping, entertaining the sheik in the harem, etc. It is descended from the folk dances of Middle East, where it is done by both men and women. The two-piece bra and belt, "I Dream of Jeannie" outfit you may think of as "traditional" costuming did not originate in the Middle East -- the idea was borrowed from Hollywood movies! Those of us who are in love with this dance don't do it to titillate men but because we find it a strong, powerful, and joyous artistic expression.

I was inspired to create this page because I have met SO many Bellydancing Librarians that we could create our own interest group at ALA! What is it about this combination? For me, it provides a balance between left brain/rational/cerebral pursuits and right brain/artistic/physical enjoyment.

If YOU are a Bellydancing Librarian and would like to contribute to this site, email me at erisw@sonic.net. Send me photos, stories, the URL of your Website, etc. and I will include them; check out the latest additions to the Gallery of Bellydancing Librarians! C'mon, don't be shy, I know you want to join us!

The Bellydancing Librarian is also available for performances. (But I ain't cheap!)

We're also becoming quite popular around the 'Net:

• The Bellydancing Librarian is featured in an article by Marylaine Block in the September 15, 2001 issue of Library Journal!
• She was also Featured in the Funnies in July 2001.
• She is also featured in the February 2001 issue of New Breed Librarian in an article called "The Image Busters".
• El Paso Community College Library named us Website of the Month in November 2000.
• The Bellydancing Librarian was featured in an article titled "Wear lipstick, have a tattoo, belly-dance, then get naked: The making of a virtual librarian." (Antony Brewerton. Impact, November - December 1999, 2(10), pp. 158-164.)
• This site was named Homepage of the Week in the December 1, 1999 issue of Library Juice, a great lefty librarian e-zine.
• "From Buns to Bytes: Is the Image of Librarians Changing?" -- Eris was interviewed for this January 2001 Columbia News Service article.

Visit some other fabulous, stereotype-smashing librarians:

• Some days, I, too, am a Snarky Librarian.
• Need some assertiveness training? Or just a laugh? Visit the Leather Librarian.
• The Librarian Mythbreaker has some great photos.
• The Image of Librarians in Pornography (some of the titles crack me up!)
• The Barbarian Librarian -- I think Xena's sidekick Gabrielle ought to join forces with this gal!
• The Laughing Librarian will leave you ROTFL!
• The Modified Librarian -- librarians with tattoos and piercings (including yours truly!)
• Get some fashion tips from The Lipstick Librarian
• The Progressive Librarian
• The Street Librarian
• The Naked Librarian (no NetNanny on OUR Website!)
• Librarians in the Movies
• Librarians in comic books and in comic strips -- did you know Batgirl was a librarian?

...and learn about Raks Sharki:

• Morocco, AKA "Aunty Rocky," is a walking, talking, dancing encyclopedia of information about this dance form. She will reprimand me sharply if I have made any errors.
• Aziza Sa'id's Belly Dance Site (which includes great photos from our trip to Turkey with Morocco in 1998)
• Shira's Art Of Middle Eastern Dance includes info on the dance, a song lyric archive, and a searchable database of dance teachers throughout the U.S. and beyond
• The Gilded Serpent -- a Bay Area online 'zine with info about local events and dancers

And check out what Eris is up to these days BESIDES dancing!

Thanks for visiting!

Last updated November 31, 2003

visitors since 10/22/01

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